Game of Thrones drops trailer, spin-off tease and puppies at Comic Con panel

Game of Thrones has such a massive fan base these days that even a panel taking place after the season premiere still managed to deliver some stunning new footage in the form of brand new trailer teasing the coming episodes of the new season. The panel, consisting of actors Sophie Turner, Alfie Allen, Nathalie Emmanuel, Isaac Hempstead Wright, Gwendoline Christie and more, was mostly a question and answer session that did not delve too much into the specifics of what is coming this season. But, we did get a few surprises along the way.

First up, Isaac Hempstead Wright, who plays Bran Stark, was asked about what exactly a Three-Eyed Raven is. Wright explained that he is essentially the antithesis of the Night King and has the ability to know all of history and even go back and relive it, something we saw Bran and the prior Raven (Max Von Sydow) do last season. How this will play into the events unfolding on the show remains to be seen, but this could be the Game of Thrones equivalent to a Jedi, making Bran a key in saving Westeros from the White Walkers.

Gwendoline Christie was directly asked, because of her role as Captain Phasma in THE FORCE AWAKENS and the upcoming STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI, whether Game of Thrones or STAR WARS has the better fan-base. Christie played it safe and declared them equal but did explain how both shows use themes of hope to try and deliver a rousing adventure that also has context and parallels to contemporary society. Most of the questions thrown around were softball ones that did not reveal much about the show. Actor Liam Cunningham, who plays Ser Davos, did joke that HBO will spin-off the series into a standalone for him called Better Call Davos. I would definitely watch that show. It was a fun, light panel, but the big showstopper came in the form of the new trailer which you can see embedded below.

In the footage, numerous action sequences and battles can be seen which either come from just one or two episodes or could represent the most ambitious run that Game of Thrones has put on to date. The moment that really riled up the crowd was the closing scene that shows the return of Carice Van Houten as the witch, Melisandre. In the shot, Melisandre appears to be offering her services to none other than Daenarys. Melisandre mentions that Daenarys has a role to play, as well as someone else. Fans will obviously assume this means Jon Snow, but we will have to wait to find out.

HBO and Game of Thrones never disappoint with their panels but this is the rare presentation that has occurred so early in a season. I was not surprised that we got as little as we did out of the questions, but it was nice as a fan to see many of the cast come together to pay service to the fans who idolize their series. Next year will undoubtedly by a major panel as the show prepares for their final foray beyond the wall.